Pharmaceutical composition comprising antibody composition which specifically binds to CCR4

ABSTRACT

A pharmaceutical composition, comprising an antibody composition which specifically binds to human CC chemokine receptor 4 (hereinafter also referred to as CCR4) and at least one medicament; and a pharmaceutical composition for administering in combination of a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least one medicament are required. The present invention can provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least one medicament; and a pharmaceutical composition for administering in combination of a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least one medicament.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition,comprising an antibody composition which specifically binds to human CCchemokine receptor 4 (hereinafter also referred to as CCR4) and at leastone medicament.

2. Brief Description of the Background Art

The prognosis with T-cell lymphoma is very poor and there is notherapeutic agent which exhibits sufficient drug efficacy. It is knownthat human CC chemokine receptor 4 is expressed on some kinds of T-celllymphoma including adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, cutaneous T celllymphoma and the like (Non-patent literatures 1 and 2). Therefore, apharmaceutical composition comprising an antibody composition whichspecifically binds to CCR4 can be a pharmaceutical composition effectivefor treating T-cell tumors which expresses CCR4 (Patent literatures 1, 2and 3).

Lenalidomide is a standard therapeutic agent for multiple myeloma andclinical trials have been conducted on diseases including a T-celllymphoma for the purpose of expanding indications (Non-patent literature3). Lenalidomide is a so-called immunomodulating agent havingimmunostimulatory activity (Non-patent literature 4) and is known toactually enhance an ADCC activity of a therapeutic antibody such asanti-CD20 antibody and anti-CD40 antibody (Non-patent literatures 5 and6).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: WO01/64754-   Patent Literature 2: WO03/18635-   Patent Literature 3: WO2005/057341

Non-Patent Literature

-   Non-patent Literature 1: Clinical Cancer Research, vol. 9, p 3625,    2003-   Non-patent Literature 2: J Invest Dermatol, vol. 119, p 1405, 2002-   Non-patent Literature 3: Clin Lymphoma Myeloma. Suppl, 5, S187, 2008-   Non-patent Literature 4: J Clin Oncol, vol. 26, p 1544, 2008-   Non-patent Literature 5: Clin Cancer Res, vol. 11, p 5984, 2005-   Non-patent Literature 6: Br J Haematol., vol. 144, p 848, 2009

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at leastone medicament; and a pharmaceutical composition for administering arecombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least one medicament incombination. However, any combination therapy of Lenalidomide and atherapeutic antibody has not been approved in clinical practice. Inaddition, there is no report about combination effect of an anti-CCR4antibody and Lenalidomide on T-cell lymphoma.

The present invention can provide a pharmaceutical compositioncomprising a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least onemedicament; and a pharmaceutical composition for administering arecombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least one medicament incombination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 shows combination effect of an anti-CCR4 antibody andLenalidomide on HH cells grafted into SCID mice. The ordinate shows aV/V0 value. The abscissa shows the number of days. ●, □, ▴ and xindicate the average V/V0 values of a negative control group, a groupadministering KM8760 alone, a group administering Lenalidomide alone,and a group administering KM8760 and Lenalidomide in combination,respectively.

[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 shows combination effect of an anti-CCR4 antibody andLenalidomide on HH cells grafted into SCID mice. The ordinate shows aV/V0 value. The abscissa shows the number of days after the start ofadministration. ◯, ▴, ▪, and x indicate the average V/V0 values of anegative control group (administration of medium), a group administeringKM8760 alone, a group administering Lenalidomide alone, and a groupadministering KM8760 and Lenalidomide in combination, respectively.

[FIG. 3A] FIG. 3A shows ADCC activity of KM8760 when hPBMCs and HH cellswere used as effector cells and target cells, respectively. The ordinateshows the cytotoxicity rate (Lysis %) and the abscissa shows theantibody concentration (μmol/L). ◯, ●, Δ and ▪ indicate the averagecytotoxicity rate (the sample number N=3), which were measured using theeffector cells treated with no Lenalidomide and 0.1 μmol/L, 1 μmol/L and10 μmol/L of Lenalidomide, respectively, for one day.

[FIG. 3B] FIG. 3B shows ADCC activity of KM8760 when hPBMCs and HH cellswere used as effector cells and target cells, respectively. The ordinateshows the cytotoxicity rate (Lysis %) and the abscissa shows theantibody concentration (μmol/L). ◯, ●, Δ and ▪ indicate the averagecytotoxicity rate (the sample number N=3), which were measured using theeffector cells treated with no Lenalidomide and 0.1 μmol/L, 1 μmol/L and10 μmol/L of Lenalidomide, respectively, for three days.

[FIG. 3C] FIG. 3C shows ADCC activity of KM8760 when hPBMCs and HH cellswere used as effector cells and target cells, respectively. The ordinateshows the cytotoxicity rate (Lysis %) and the abscissa shows theantibody concentration (μmol/L). ◯, ●, Δ and ▪ indicate the averagecytotoxicity rate (the sample number N=3), which were measured using theeffector cells treated with no Lenalidomide and 0.1 μmol/L, 1 μmol/L and10 μmol/L of Lenalidomide, respectively, for five days.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Namely, the present invention relates to the following (1) to (10):

-   (1) A pharmaceutical composition, comprising an antibody composition    which specifically binds to human CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) and    Lenalidomide;-   (2) A pharmaceutical composition for administering a recombinant    antibody which specifically binds to CCR4 and Lenalidomide in    combination;-   (3) The pharmaceutical composition described in the above (2),    wherein the pharmaceutical composition for administering in    combination is a pharmaceutical composition for simultaneously or    sequentially administering;-   (4) The pharmaceutical composition described in any one of the    above (1) to (3), wherein the pharmaceutical composition is an    anti-tumor agent;-   (5) The pharmaceutical composition described in the above (4),    wherein the tumor is tumor which expresses CCR4;-   (6) The pharmaceutical composition described in the above (5),    wherein the tumor which expresses CCR4 is T-cell lymphoma;-   (7) The pharmaceutical composition described in any one of the    above (1) to (6), wherein the recombinant antibody is an antibody    having a high antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity;-   (8) The pharmaceutical composition described in any one of the    above (1) to (7), wherein the recombinant antibody is a humanized    antibody;-   (9) The pharmaceutical composition described in the above (8),    wherein the humanized antibody comprises complementarity determining    region (hereinafter also referred to as CDR) 1, CDR2 and CDR3 of a    heavy chain (hereinafter also referred to as H chain) variable    region (hereinafter also referred to as V region) of an antibody    molecule comprising the amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID    NOs:5, 6 and 7, respectively, and CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of a light    chain (hereinafter also referred to as L chain) V region of an    antibody comprising the amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID    NOs:8, 9 and 10, respectively; and-   (10) The pharmaceutical composition described in the above (9),    wherein, in the humanized antibody, the H chain V region of an    antibody molecule comprises the amino acid sequences represented by    SEQ ID NO:11, and the L chain V region of an antibody molecule    comprises the amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID NO:12.

Examples of the pharmaceutical composition of the present inventioninclude a pharmaceutical composition comprising a recombinant antibodyagainst CCR4 and at least one medicament; and a pharmaceuticalcomposition for administering a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and atleast one medicament in combination.

Herein, the pharmaceutical composition comprising a recombinant antibodyagainst CCR4 and at least one medicament may be a combination drug inwhich each medicament component is mixed, or a pharmaceuticalcomposition for simultaneously or sequentially administering arecombinant antibody which specifically binds to CCR4 and at least onemedicament in combination after preparing each medicament separately.Examples of the combination drug in which each medicament component ismixed include a fusion antibody in which at least one medicament isbound to a recombinant antibody which specifically binds to CCR4 and thelike.

The pharmaceutical composition for administering a recombinant antibodyagainst CCR4 and at least one medicament in combination may be apharmaceutical composition for simultaneously or sequentiallyadministering a recombinant antibody which specifically binds to CCR4and at least one medicament in combination after preparing eachmedicament separately, or a combination drug in which each medicamentcomponent is mixed. Examples of the combination drug in which eachmedicament component is mixed include a fusion antibody in which atleast one medicament is bound to a recombinant antibody whichspecifically binds to CCR4 and the like.

In addition, these medicaments may be simultaneously or sequentiallyadministered to a patient after adjusting a pharmaceutical kitcomprising each medicament, or administered after mixing thesemedicaments.

When a recombinant antibody which specifically reacts to CCR4 and atleast one medicament are simultaneously administered, the order ofadministration is not limited. The recombinant antibody whichspecifically binds to CCR4 may be administered to a patient before orafter administering at least one medicament. The term “sequentially”means that a recombinant antibody and at least one medicament areadministered in one after another within a time frame so that thesemedicaments can therapeutically act within the same time frame.

In the present invention, examples of the recombinant antibody whichspecifically binds to CCR4 include a recombinant antibody whichspecifically reacts with an extracellular region of human CCR4. Amongthem, a recombinant antibody which does not show reactivity with a humanblood platelet, a recombinant antibody having high antibody-dependentcellular cytotoxicity (hereinafter also referred to as ADCC activity)and the like are preferable.

What an antibody does not show reactivity with a human blood platelet asreferred to here means that an antibody does not substantially reactwith a human blood platelet. Specifically, it means that reactivity isnot shown by the measurement with a flow cytometer.

Also, the antibody in the present invention includes an antibody whichspecifically reacts with preferably the region comprising positions 1 to39, 98 to 112, 176 to 206 or 271 to 284 in the amino acid sequencerepresented by SEQ ID NO:1, more preferably the region comprisingpositions 2 to 29 (SEQ ID NO:2) in the amino acid sequence representedby SEQ ID NO:1, still more preferably the region comprising positions 12to 29 (SEQ ID NO:3) in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ IDNO:1, and particularly preferably the region comprising positions 13 to25 (SEQ ID NO:4) in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1.In addition, examples also include an antibody which specifically reactsto an epitope which is recognized by a monoclonal antibody binding toCCR4 which is produced by a hybridoma KM2160 (FERM BP-10090) disclosedin WO2005/053741 and the like.

In addition, the antibody in the present invention include an antibodywhich is produced by cells resistant to a lectin which recognizes asugar chain structure in which 1-position of fucose is bound to6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond ina complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chain (WO02/31140, WO03/58118and WO03/85107).

Examples of the recombinant antibody in the present invention include ahumanized antibody, a human antibody and the like.

Examples of the humanized antibody include a human chimeric antibody, ahuman CDR-grafted antibody and the like.

The human chimeric antibody refers an antibody comprising H chain Vregion (hereinafter also referred to as HV or VH) of an antibody of anon-human animal, and L chain V region (hereinafter also referred to asLV or VL) of an antibody of a non-human animal, and H chain C region(hereinafter referred to as CH) of a human antibody and L chain C region(hereinafter referred to as CL) of a human antibody. As the non-humananimals, any animal, such as a mouse, a rat, a hamster and a rabbit, canbe used so long as a hybridoma cell can be prepared from the animal.

The human chimeric antibody of the present invention can be produced byobtaining cDNAs encoding VH and VL of an antibody from a non-humananimal hybridoma capable of producing a monoclonal antibody derived fromnon-human animal which specifically binds to CCR4, inserting them intoan expression vector for animal cell having genes encoding humanantibody CH and human antibody CL to thereby construct a vector forexpression of human chimeric antibody, and then introducing the vectorinto a host cell to express the antibody.

Any CH of a human chimeric antibody can be used, so long as it belongsto human immmogloblin (hereinafter referred to as hIg), but those of thehIgG class are preferred, and any one of the subclasses belonging to theIgG such as γ1, γ2, γ3 and γ4 can be also used. Also, as CL of a humanchmeric antibody, those of κ class or λ class can be used.

Examples of the human chimeric antibody of the present invention includea human chimeric antibody which comprises CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of VHcomprising the amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID NOs:5, 6 and7, respectively, and CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of VL comprising the amino acidsequences represented by SEQ ID NOs:8, 9 and 10, respectively. Morespecifically, examples include a human chimeric antibody in which theamino acid sequences of VH and VL are the amino acid sequencesrepresented by SEQ ID NOs:11 and 12, respectively.

Specific examples include a human chimeric antibody in which VHcomprises the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:11, CHcomprises the amino acid sequence of the IgG1 subclass of a humanantibody, VL comprises the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ IDNO:12 and CL comprises the amino acid sequence of class of a humanantibody. Examples include anti-CCR4 human chimeric antibody KM2760disclosed in WO01/64754 and the like.

A human CDR-grafted antibody refers to an antibody in which amino acidsequences of CDRs of VH and VL of an antibody derived from a non-humananimal are grafted into appropriate sites in VH and VL of a humanantibody.

The human CDR-grafted antibody of the present invention can be producedby constructing cDNAs encoding V regions in which amino acid sequencesof CDRs of VH and VL of an antibody derived from a non-human animalwhich specifically binds to CCR4 are grafted into frameworks(hereinafter referred to as “FR”) of VH and VL of an arbitrary humanantibody, inserting the resulting cDNAs into an expression vector foranimal cells which have DNAs encoding CH and CL of a human antibody,respectively, to construct a human CDR-grafted antibody expressionvector, and introducing the expression vector into an animal cell toinduce expression.

As a method for selecting the amino acid sequences of FRs of VH and VLof a human antibody, any of those derived from human antibodies can beused. Examples of the method for selecting include the amino acidsequences of FRs of VH and VL of human antibodies registered in databasesuch as Protein Data Bank, and the amino acid sequences common to eachsubgroup of FRs of VH and VL of human antibodies (Sequences of Proteinsof Immunological Interest, US Dept. Health and Human Services, 1991),and the like.

As CH of the antibody of the present invention, any CH can be used, solong as it belongs to hIg and those of the hIgG class are preferred. Inaddition, any one of the subclasses belonging to the IgG class, such asγ1, γ2, γ3 and γ4 can be used. Also, as CL of the human CDR-graftedantibody, those belonging to the κ class or λ class can be used.

Examples of the human CDR-grafted antibody of the present inventioninclude a human chimeric antibody in which CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of VH ofthe antibody comprise the amino acid sequences represented by SEQ IDNOs:5, 6 and 7, respectively, and/or CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of VL comprisethe amino acid sequences represented by SEQ ID NOs:8, 9 and 10,respectively; and the like.

In addition, as the human CDR-grafted antibody of the present inventioninclude a human CDR-grafted antibody wherein VH comprises the amino acidsequence represented by SEQ ID NO:11 and VL comprises the amino acidsequence represented by SEQ ID NO:12 is preferably used.

A human antibody originally means an antibody naturally existing in thehuman body, and it also includes an antibody obtained from a humanantibody phage library or a human antibody-producing transgenic animal,which is prepared based on the recent advanced techniques in geneticengineering, cell engineering and developmental engineering and thelike.

With respect to the antibody naturally existing in the human body, humanperipheral blood lymphocytes are isolated, infected with EB virus or thelike for immortalization and cloning, whereby lymphocytes producing theantibody can be cultured, and the antibody can be purified from theculture.

The human antibody phage library is a library in which antibody genefrom a human B cell is inserted into a phage gene to express an antibodyfragments such as Fab and scFv on the surface of the phage.

A library in which mutation is artificially introduced can be used todevelop the library. A phage having a desired antigen binding activitycan be recovered from the library, using a binding activity to asubstrate having an antigen-immobilized thereon as an index. Theantibody fragment can be further converted to a human antibody moleculecomprising two full length H chains and two full length L chains by aprotein engineering method.

The human antibody-producing transgenic animal means an animal in whicha human antibody gene is incorporated into cells. Examples of the humanantibody-producing transgenic animal include a human antibody-producingtransgenic mouse which is prepared by introducing a human antibody geneinto a mouse ES cell, grafting the ES cell on an early embryo of themouse and developing the same, and the like.

Regarding a method for preparing a human antibody from the humanantibody-producing transgenic animal, the human antibody can be producedand accumulated in a culture supernatant by culturing a humanantibody-producing hybridoma obtained by a hybridoma preparation methodusing a general cell fusion method.

Examples of the transgenic non-human animals include cattle, sheep,goats, pigs, horses, mice, rats, chickens, monkeys, rabbits and thelike.

Herein, examples of a recombinant antibody having a high ADCC activityinclude a composition comprising an antibody molecule having a complextype N-glycoside-linked sugar chain in the Fc region, and comprising asugar chain in which fucose is not bound to N-acetylglucosamine in thereducing end in the sugar chain among the total complexN-glycoside-linked sugar chains binding to the Fc region in the antibodycomposition reducing end.

In the present specification, a high antibody-dependent cellularcytotoxicity means that the antibody has a higher ADCC activity thanthose mainly produced in a living body.

In addition, in the preset invention, an antibody having a high ADCCactivity is hereinafter referred to as an antibody lacking in fucosemodification.

Specific examples include a human CDR-grafted antibody which is anantibody lacking in fucose modification which specifically binds to CCR4and comprises VH comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQID NO:11 and VL comprising the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ IDNO:12 (hereinafter also referred to as KM8760).

An N-glycoside-linked sugar chain is bound to the Fc region in anantibody molecule. Therefore, two sugar chains are bound to one antibodymolecule.

Examples of the N-glycoside-linked sugar chain include a complex typesugar chain in which the non-reducing end side of the core structure hasone or more parallel branches containing galactose-N-acetylglucosamine(hereinafter referred to as “Gal-GlcNAc”) and the non-reducing end sideof Gal-GlcNAc has sialic acid, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine and thelike.

In the present invention, the N-glycoside-linked sugar chain is shown bythe following formula.

In the present invention, a gene antibody which specifically binds toCCR4 may be administered as a composition. Among the gene antibodycompositions which specifically bind to CCR4, the recombinant antibodycomposition comprising an antibody molecule the N-glycoside-linked sugarchain in the Fc region may be comprised of an antibody molecule having asingle sugar chain structure or an antibody molecule having plural anddifferent sugar chain structures, so long as it has the above sugarchain structure. That is, the recombinant antibody composition of thepresent invention means a composition comprising a recombinant antibodymolecule having a single or plural and different sugar chainstructure(s).

As the ratio of sugar chains in which fucose is not bound toN-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end of the antibody, antibodieshaving any ratio are included, so long as the ADCC activity isincreased. The ratio is preferably 20% or more, more preferably 51% to100%, still more preferably 80% to 100%, particularly preferably 90% to99% and most preferably 100%.

In the present invention, the sugar chain in which fucose is not boundmay have any sugar chain structure in the non-reducing end, so long asfucose is not bound to N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end in theabove formula.

In the present invention, the case where fucose is not bound toN-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end in the sugar chain means thatfucose is not substantially bound. An antibody composition in whichfucose is not substantially bound specifically refers to an antibodycomposition in such a degree that fucose is not substantially detectedaccording to the known sugar chain analysis (WO02/31140, WO03/85107).

The degree that fucose is not substantially detected means the contentof fucose is below the detection limit. A recombinant antibodycomposition in which fucose is not bound to N-acetylglucosamine in thereducing ends of all sugar chains has the highest ADCC activity.

The ratio of sugar chains in which fucose is not bound toN-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end in the sugar chains contained inthe composition which comprises an antibody molecule having complex typeN-glycoside-linked sugar chains in the Fc region can be determined bythe following analytic methods.

Examples of the analytic method include a method in which the sugarchains are released from the antibody molecule using a known method suchas hydrazinolysis or enzyme digestion [Biochemical ExperimentationMethods 23—Method for Studying Glycoprotein Sugar Chain (JapanScientific Societies Press), edited by Reiko Takahashi (1989)], thereleased sugar chain was subject to fluorescence labeling orradioisotope labeling and then the labeled sugar chains bychromatography were separated. Also, the released sugar chains can alsobe analyzed using the HPAED-PAD method [J. Liq. Chromatogr., 6, 1577(1983)].

The transformant producing the recombinant antibody composition whichspecifically binds to CCR4 of the present invention can be obtained byintroducing, into an animal cell, a recombinant antibody compositionexpression vector into which DNAs encoding a variable region and aconstant region of an antibody molecule are inserted.

The recombinant antibody composition expression vector can beconstructed as described below (WO02/31140, WO03/85107).

Each of the above DNAs encoding CH and CL is introduced into anexpression vector in animal cell to produce an expression vector foranimal cell.

The expression vector for animal cell includes pAGE107 (JapanesePublished Unexamined Patent Application No. 22979/91; Miyaji H. et al.,Cytotechnology, 3, 133-140 (1990)), pAGE103 (Mizukami T. and Itoh S., J.Biochem., 101, 1307-1310 (1987)), pHSG274 (Brady G. et al., Gene, 27,223-232 (1984)), pKCR (O'Hare K. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.,78, 1527-1531 (1981)), pSG1βd2-4 (Miyaji H. et al., Cytotechnology, 4,173-180 (1990)) and the like. The promoter and enhancer used for theexpression vector for animal cell include SV40 early promoter andenhancer (Mizukami T. and Itoh S., J. Biochem., 101, 1307-1310 (1987)),LTR promoter and enhancer of Moloney mouse leukemia virus (Kuwana Y. etal., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 149, 960-968 (1987)),immunoglobulin H chain promoter (Mason J. O. et al., Cell, 41, 479-487(1985)) and ehnancer (Gillies S. D. et al., Cell, 33, 717-728 (1983))and the like.

The vector for expression of recombinant antibody composition may beeither of a type in which genes encoding the H chain and L chain existon separate vectors or of a type in which both genes exist on the samevector (tandem type). In respect of easiness of construction of arecombinant antibody composition expression vector, easiness ofintroduction into animal cells, and balance between the expressionamounts of the H and L chains of an antibody in animal cells, a tandemtype of the vector for expression of recombinant antibody composition ismore preferred (Shitara K. et al., J. Immunol. Methods, 167, 271-278(1994)). The tandem type vector for expression of recombinant antibodycomposition includes pKANTEX93 (WO97/10354), pEE18 (Bentley K. J. etal., Hybridoma, 17, 559-567 (1998)) and the like.

cDNAs encoding VH and VL of antibodies for various antigens are clonedinto the upstream of DNAs encoding CH and CL of the constructed vectorfor expression of a recombinant antibody composition to therebyconstruct a recombinant antibody composition expression vector.

A method for introducing the expression vector into a host cell includeselectroporation (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No.257891/90; Miyaji H. et al., Cytotechnology, 3, 133-140 (1990)) and thelike.

The host cell producing the recombinant antibody composition of thepresent invention may be any host cell which is generally used inproduction of a recombinant protein, such as an animal cell, a plantcell or a microorganism.

The host cell producing the recombinant antibody composition of thepresent invention includes a CHO cell derived from a Chinese hamsterovary tissue, a rat myeloma cell line YB2/3HL.P2.G11.16Ag.20 cell, amouse myeloma cell line NS0 cell, a mouse myeloma SP2/0-Ag 14 cell, aBHK cell derived from a Syrian hamster kidney tissue, a human leukemiacell line Namalwa cell, a hybridoma cell produced by using a myelomacell and any B cell, a hybridoma cell produced by a B cell obtained byimmunizing with an antigen a transgenic non-human animal produced byusing an embryonic stem cell or a fertilized egg cell and any myelomacell; a hybridoma cell produced by the above myeloma cell and a B cellobtained by immunizing a transgenic non-human animal produced by usingan embryonic stem cell or a fertilized egg cell; and the like, with anantigen.

The host cell capable of expressing a recombinant antibody compositionhaving a high ADCC activity includes a host cell resistant to a lectinwhich recognizes a sugar chain structure in which 1-position of fucoseis bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing endthrough α-bond in the complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, suchas a host cell capable of producing an antibody composition comprisingan antibody molecule having complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chainsin the Fc region, wherein the ratio of sugar chains in which fucose isnot bound to N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end of the sugar chainsamong the total complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chains which bindto the Fc region contained in the composition is 20% or more. Examplesinclude cells in which activity of at least one protein described belowis decreased or deleted, such as the following (a) to (c):

-   (a) an enzyme relating to synthesis of an intracellular sugar    nucleotide, GDP-fucose;-   (b) an enzyme relating to modification of a sugar chain in which    1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine    in the reducing end through α-bond in a complex type    N-glycoside-linked sugar chain;-   (c) a protein relating to transport of an intracellular sugar    nucleotide, GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body (WO02/31140, WO03/85107),    and the like.

The above host cell is preferably a host cell in which a gene encodingα1,6-fucosyltransferase in the host cell is knocked out (WO02/31140,WO03/85107).

The enzyme relating to synthesis of an intracellular sugar nucleotide,GDP-fucose may be any enzyme, so long as it is an enzyme relating to thesynthesis of the intracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose, as a supplysource of fucose to a sugar chain.

The enzyme relating to synthesis of an intracellular sugar nucleotide,GDP-fucose includes an enzyme which has influence on the synthesis ofthe intracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose, and the like.

The intracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose, is supplied by a de novosynthesis pathway or a salvage synthesis pathway. Thus, all enzymesrelating to the synthesis pathways are included in the enzyme relatingto synthesis of an intracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose.

The enzyme relating to the de novo synthesis pathway of an intracellularsugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose includes GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase(hereinafter referred to as “GMD”),GDP-keto-6-deoxymannose-3,5-epimerase, 4,6-reductase (hereinafterreferred to as “Fx”) and the like.

The enzyme relating to the salvage synthesis pathway of an intracellularsugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose includes GDP-beta-L-fucosepyrophosphorylase (hereinafter referred to as “GFPP”), fucokinase andthe like.

As the enzyme which has influence on the synthesis of an intracellularsugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose, an enzyme which has influence on theactivity of the enzyme relating to the synthesis pathway of theintracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose described above, and anenzyme which has influence on the structure of substances as thesubstrate of the enzyme are also included.

The enzyme relating to modification of a sugar chain in which 1-positionof fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducingend through α-bond in a complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chainincludes any enzyme, so long as it is an enzyme relating to the reactionof binding of 1-position of fucose to 6-position of N-acetylglucosaminein the reducing end through α-bond in the complex typeN-glycoside-linked sugar chain.

The enzyme relating to the reaction of binding of 1-position of fucoseto 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bondin the complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chain includes an enzymewhich has influence on the reaction of binding of 1-position of fucoseto 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bondin the complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chain. Examples includeα1,6-fucosyltransferase, α-L-fucosidase and the like.

Also, the enzyme relating to the reaction of binding of 1-position offucose to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end throughα-bond in the complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chain includes anenzyme which has influence on the activity of the enzyme relating to thereaction of binding of 1-position of fucose to 6-position ofN-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond in the complextype N-glycoside-linked sugar chain and an enzyme which has influence onthe structure of substances as the substrate of the enzyme.

The protein relating to transport of an intracellular sugar nucleotide,GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body may be any protein, so long as it is aprotein relating to the transport of the intracellular sugar nucleotide,GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body, or a protein which has an influence onthe reaction for the transport of the intracellular sugar nucleotide,GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body.

The protein relating to the transport of the intracellular sugarnucleotide, GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body includes a GDP-fucosetransporter and the like.

Also, the protein which has an influence on the reaction for thetransport of the intracellular sugar nucleotide, GDP-fucose, to theGolgi body include a protein which has an influence on the activity ofthe above protein relating to the transport of the intracellular sugarnucleotide, GDP-fucose, to the Golgi body or has influence on theexpression thereof.

The method for obtaining a cell in which the above enzyme activity isdecreased or deleted may by any method, so long as it is a method fordecreasing or deleting the objective enzyme activity. Examples includethe following (a) to (e):

-   (a) a gene disrupting technique targeting a gene encoding the    enzyme;-   (b) a technique for introducing a dominant-negative mutant of a gene    encoding the enzyme;-   (c) a technique for introducing mutation into the enzyme;-   (d) a technique for inhibiting transcription or translation of a    gene encoding the enzyme;-   (e) a technique for selecting a cell line resistant to a lectin    which recognizes a sugar chain structure in which 1-position of    fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing    end through α-bond in a N-glycoside-linked sugar chain;    and the like (WO02/31140, WO03/85107).

As the lectin which recognizes a sugar chain structure in which1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine inthe reducing end through α-bond in a N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, anylectin capable of recognizing the sugar chain structure can be used.Specific examples include lentil lectin LCA (lentil agglutinin derivedfrom Lens culinaris), pea lectin PSA (pea lectin derived from Pisumsativum), broad bean lectin VFA (agglutinin derived from Vicia faba),Aleuria aurantia lectin AAL (lectin derived from Aleuria aurantia) andthe like.

The cell resistant to a lectin refers to a cell in which growth is notinhibited by the presence of a lectin at an effective concentration. Theeffective concentration is a concentration higher than the concentrationthat does not allow the normal growth of a cell prior to the genomemodification (hereinafter referred to also as parent cell line). Theeffective concentration is preferably equal to the concentration thatdoes not allow the normal growth of a cell prior to the genomemodification, more preferably 2 to 5 times, further preferably 10 times,most preferably 20 or more times the concentration that does not allowthe normal growth of a cell prior to the modification of the genomicgene.

The effective concentration of lectin that does not inhibit growth maybe appropriately determined according to each cell line. It is usually10 μg/ml to 10 mg/ml, preferably 0.5 mg/ml to 2.0 mg/ml.

In the pharmaceutical composition in the present invention, examples ofat least one medicament include an immunomodulating agent, such asLenalidomide and Actimid.

There is concern that the above medicament may produce adverse effectsin the case where the medicament is administered alone to a living bodyat a high dose. However, in the present invention, the above medicamentcan be administered at a low dose by combining the above medicament witha recombinant antibody which specifically binds to CCR4.

Therefore, use of the above medicament and the antibody in combinationcan reduce adverse effect as well as exhibit sufficient therapeuticeffect. In addition, pathological condition is rare to cure only by theabove medicament and many of patients experience a relapse. In thepresent invention, higher therapeutic effect can be expected bycombining the above medicament with a recombinant antibody whichspecifically binds to CCR4.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention can be combinedwith the following other medicaments or methods.

Examples of the above medicaments or methods include drugs for multidrugchemotherapy, such as CHOP therapy which combines cyclophosphamide,doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone; CHOP-like therapy, such asTHP-COP therapy which combines pirarubicin instead of doxorubicin; EPOCHtherapy which adds etoposide to CHOP therapy; ESHAP therapy whichcombines etoposide, cisplatin, methylprednisolone, and cytarabine; LSG15therapy which combines vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin,prednisolone, ranimustine, vindesine, etoposide, and carboplatin;modified LSG 15 therapy (also referred to as mLSG15 therapy) whichcombines vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisolone,ranimustine, vindesine etoposide, carboplatin, cytarabine, andmethotrexate; ABVD therapy which combines doxorubicin, bleomycin,vinblastine, and dacarbazine; and the like, and molecular targetingdrugs.

Examples for the molecular targeting drugs include a nucleotideanalogue, a monoclonal antibody, a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACinhibitor), a folic acid analog, a signal inhibitor and proteasomeinhibitor and the like.

Examples of the folic acid analogs include Gemcitabine, Cladribine,Fludarabine, Pentostatin, Forodesine, Pralatrexate and the like.

Examples of the monoclonal antibodies include Alemtuzumab, Bevacizumab,SGN-30, Iratumumab, Zanolimumab, Siplizumab, Denileukin diftitox and thelike.

Examples of the HDAC inhibitors include Vorinostat, Belinostat,Panobinostat, Romidepsin and the like.

Examples of the signal inhibitors include Enzastaurin and the like.

Examples of the proteasome inhibitors include Bortezomib and the like.

In the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention, examples ofat least one medicament include Gemcitabine, Cladribine, Fludarabine,Pentostatin, Forodesine, Alemtuzumab, Bevacizumab, SGN-30, Iratumumab,Zanolimumab, Sevirumab, Denileukin diftitox, Vorinostat, Belinostat,Panobinostat, Romidepsin, Pralatrexate, Enzasutaurin and Bortezomib, andthe combination of these medicaments.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention can be appliedto any tumor which expresses CCR4 regardless of the type of the cancer.Examples of the tumor include hematopoietic organ tumor.

Examples of hematopoietic organ tumor include acute leukemia, chronicleukemia, non-Hodgkin's disease, Hodgkin's disease (or Hodgkin'slymphoma) and the like.

Examples of the acute leukemia include acute lymphatic leukemia and thelike.

Examples of the chronic leukemia include chronic lymphatic leukemia andthe like.

Examples of the non-Hodgkin's disease include precursor T lymphoblasticleukemia/lymphoma, mature T cell tumor, NK cell tumor and the like.

Examples of mature T cell tumor and NK cell tumor include T cellprolymphocytic leukemia, T cell large granular lymphocytic leukemia,Sezary syndrome, NK leukemia cells of extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma(nasal type), mycosis fungoides, primary cutaneous anaplastic large celllymphoma, subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma,enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma, hepatosplenic γδT-cell lymphoma,angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma(non-specific), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALK positive, ALKnegative), and adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and the like.

Examples of Hodgkin's lymphoma include nodular lymphocyte predominantHodgkin lymphoma, classical Hodgkin lymphoma and the like. Examples ofclassical Hodgkin lymphoma include nodular sclerosis Hodgkin's lymphoma,lymphocyte-rich classical Hodgkin's lymphoma, mixed cellularityHodgkin's lymphoma, lymphocytic depleted Hodgkin's lymphoma and thelike.

Examples of the therapy which can be conducted in combination with theadministration of the pharmaceutical composition of the presentinvention include surgery, blood transfusions, immunotherapy, biologictherapy, radiation therapy and other non-drug therapies. However,examples are not limited to the above.

The effect of the pharmaceutical composition of the present inventionmay be examined by measuring an in vivo antitumor activity using animalmodels.

Examples of the animal models include xenograft models obtained bytransplanting a culture cell line derived from a human cancer tissueinto mice. The xenograft models can be obtained by transplanting a humancancer cell line into various regions of immunodeficient mice, such asSCID mice, for example, subcutaneousely, intracutaneously,intraperitoneally, or intravenously.

The effect of the pharmaceutical composition of the present inventioncan be evaluated by comparing an effect of administration of theantibody alone or an effect of administration of the agent alone with aneffect of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention byusing the above animal models.

The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may beadministered alone as a therapeutic agent. However, it is preferablymixed with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers and thenprovided as a pharmaceutical preparation produced by any method wellknown in the technical field of pharmaceutical preparations.

It is preferable to administer the pharmaceutical composition by theroute that is most effective for the treatment. Suitable administrationroutes include oral administration and parenteral administration such asintraoral administration, intratracheal administration, intrarectaladministration, subcutaneous administration, intramuscularadministration and intravenous administration. In the case of a proteinpreparation, intravenous administration is preferable.

Examples of the preparations for the administration include spray,capsules, tablets, granules, syrup, emulsion, suppository, injection,ointment, tape and the like.

Examples of the preparations suitable for the oral administrationinclude emulsions, syrups, capsules, tablets, powders, granules and thelike.

Liquid preparations such as emulsions and syrups can be prepared using,as additives, water, sugars such as sucrose, sorbitol and fructose,glycols such as polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol, oils such assesame oil, olive oil and soybean oil, antiseptics such asp-hydroxybenzoates, flavors such as strawberry flavor and peppermint,and the like.

Capsules, tablets, powders, granules, and the like can be preparedusing, as additives, excipients such as lactose, glucose, sucrose andmannitol, disintegrating agents such as starch and sodium alginate,lubricants such as magnesium stearate and talc, binders such aspolyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl cellulose and gelatin, surfactants suchas fatty acid esters, plasticizers such as glycerin, and the like.

Examples of the pharmaceutical preparations suitable for parenteraladministration include injections, suppositories, sprays and the like.

Injections can be prepared, for example, using carriers comprising asalt solution, a glucose solution, or a mixture thereof, etc.

Suppositories can be prepared, for example, using carriers such as cacaobutter, hydrogenated fat and carboxylic acid.

Sprays can be prepared using carriers which do not stimulate the oral orairway mucous membrane of a recipient and which can disperse thepharmaceutical composition as fine particles to facilitate absorptionthereof.

Specific examples of the carriers include lactose, glycerin and thelike. It is also possible to prepare aerosols, dry powders, and the likeaccording to the properties of the composition and the carriers used. Inpreparing these parenteral preparations, the above-mentioned additivesfor the oral preparations may also be added.

A dose or an administration frequency varies depending on the desiredtherapeutic effect, the administration route, the period of treatment,age, body weight, and the like. However, it is preferable that a dose ofthe antibody for an adult is generally 0.01 to 5 mg/kg per dose. It ispreferable that the medicament administered with the antibody is thesame or less than that administered alone in clinical practice incombination.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention can provide a pharmaceutical compositioncomprising a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least onemedicament; and a pharmaceutical composition for administering incombination of a recombinant antibody against CCR4 and at least onemedicament.

EXAMPLE 1

Antitumor Effect Provided by Administering Anti-CCR4 Antibody andLenalidomide in Combination (1)

HH cells (cutaneous T cell lymphoma cell line; ATCC No: CRL-2105) weresuspended in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline without calciumchloride and magnesium chloride (PBS, manufactured by Invitrogen) at adensity of 1×1⁷ cells/mL, and 100 μL of the suspension was transplantedinto the ventral skin of SCID mouse (obtained by Nippon Crea, male).Seven days after the cell transplantation, a diameter of a tumor wasmeasured with calipers, and a tumor volume was calculated using thefollowing formula.Tumor volume=short diameter×short diameter×long diameter×0.5  (Formula)

Individuals having the tumor volume within the range of 41 to 93 mm³were selected, and grouped such that the average of tumor volume was tobe equal. Then, the following administration groups A to D werearranged. The day of grouping was defined as Day 0.

-   A. Negative control group: Administration of medium-   B. Group administering KM8760 alone: 20 mg/kg was administered on    Day 0, Day 7 and Day 14.-   C. Group administering Lenalidomide alone: 1 mg/kg was administered    everyday on Day 0 to Day 13.    D. Group administering KM8760 and Lenalidomide in combination: the    respective agent was administered on the same schedule and at the    same dose as each group administering respective agent alone.

The experiment was conducted with groups each consisting of eight mice.KM8760 was diluted with saline (manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical),and the obtained solution was administered from the tail vein.Lenalidomide was suspended with saline containing 0.5% ofmethylcellulose and the obtained solution was intraperitoneallyadministered. The tumor volume was measured chronologically. Theantitumor effect was evaluated by comparing the average values of values(V/V0) obtained by dividing the tumor volume on each day of measurementby the tumor volume on Day 0 in each group.

The chronological change in the average values of V/V0 in each group isshown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the administration of KM8760 andLenalidomide in combination exhibited higher effect in suppressinggrowth than the administration of Lenalidomide alone or the antibodyalone.

The results of the test for significant differences (One-way ANOVA,Dunnett test) compared with the negative control group are shown inTable 1. In addition, when p<0.05, the value is considered to show asignificant difference and is shown with * in the table.

TABLE 1 P value Day 4 Day 7 Day 10 Day 14 Day 18 Day 21 One-way ANOVA0.390 0.101 0.039* 0.007* 0.005* 0.006* Dunnett vs KM8760 0.751 0.0710.119 0.070 0.034* 0.046* vs Lenalidomide 0.965 0.763 0.950 0.670 0.1590.261 vs Combination administration group 0.503 0.144 0.037* 0.003*0.001* 0.002*

As shown in Table 1, there was no significant difference between theadministration group of the single agent alone and the negative controlgroup on Day 10. However, a significant difference was shown between thecombination administration group and the negative control group.

A value (T/C) obtained by dividing V/V0 of each group by V/V0 of thenegative control group is shown in Table 2. In the table, * means thecase where the actual value of T/C is smaller than the theoreticalvalue.

TABLE 2 T/C Day 0 Day 4 Day 7 Day 10 Day 14 Day 17 Day 21 KM8760 1.0000.910 0.764 0.750 0.691 0.652 0.639 Lenalidomide 1.000 1.041 0.918 0.9480.875 0.750 0.766 Combination administration group (Theoretical value)1.000 0.948 0.701 0.712 0.604 0.489 0.489 (Actual value) 1.000 0.870*0.800 0.684* 0.520* 0.487* 0.450*

As shown in Table 2, in comparison with a theoretical T/C value which isexpected from a simple additive effect of a combination of KM8760 andLenalidomide, namely, a value obtained by multiplying T/Cs of the groupsof administering the respective agent alone, actual T/C of the combinedadministration group exhibited lower values than the theoretical valueson Day 4, Day 10, Day 14, Day 17 and Day 21.

From the above, it has been found that the administration of KM8760 andLenalidomide in combination has higher antitumor effect than theadministration of the respective agent alone.

EXAMPLE 2

Antitumor Effect Provided by Administering Anti-CCR4 Antibody andLenalidomide in Combination (2)

HH cells (cutaneous T cell lymphoma cell line; ATCC No: CRL-2105) weresuspended in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline without calciumchloride and magnesium chloride (PBS, manufactured by Invitrogen) at adensity of 2×10⁸cells/mL, and 100 μL of the suspension was transplantedinto the ventral skin of SCID mouse (obtained by Nippon Crea, male).Seven days after the cell transplantation, a diameter of a tumor wasmeasured with calipers, and a tumor volume was calculated using thefollowing formula.Tumor volume=short diameter×short diameter×long diameter×0.5  (Formula)

Individuals having the tumor volume within the range of 51 to 79 mm³were selected, and grouped such that the average of tumor volume was tobe equal. Then, the following administration groups A to D werearranged. The day of grouping was defined as Day 0.

-   A. Negative control group: Administration of medium-   B. Group administering KM8760 alone: 20 mg/kg was administered on    Day 0, Day 7, Day 14 and Day 21.-   C. Group administering Lenalidomide alone: 1 mg/kg was administered    everyday on Day 0 to Day 13.-   D. Group administering KM8760 and Lenalidomide in combination: the    respective agent was administered on the same schedule and at the    same dose as each group administering respective agent alone.

The experiment was conducted with groups each consisting of twelve mice.KM8760 was diluted with saline (manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical),and the obtained solution was administered from the tail vein.Lenalidomide was suspended with saline containing 0.5% ofmethylcellulose and the diluent was intraperitoneally administered. Thetumor volume was measured chronologically. The antitumor effect wasevaluated by comparing the average values of values (V/V0) obtained bydividing the tumor volume on each day of measurement by the tumor volumeon Day 0 in each group.

The chronological change in the average values of V/V0 in each group isshown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the administration group of KM8760and Lenalidomide in combination exhibited higher effect in suppressinggrowth than the administration group of Lenalidomide alone or theantibody alone.

The result of a test for a significant difference (Steel-Dwass test)between each group administering the respective agent alone andcombination administration group is shown in Table 3. In the table, nameans not applicable. In addition, when p<0.05, the value is consideredto show a significant difference and is shown with * in the table.

TABLE 3 Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day 0 4 7 10 14 19 21 24 28Kruskal-Wallis test 1.00 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 <0.0001 0.00 0.00 0.00Steel-Dwass test KM8760 vs Lenalidomide na 0.29 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.020.03 0.04 KM8760 vs na 0.17 0.11 0.59 0.12 0.04* 0.04* 0.10 0.08Combination administration group Lenalidomide vs na 0.02* 0.00* 0.00*0.00* 0.00* 0.00* 0.00* 0.00* Combination administration group

As shown in Table 3, a significant difference was shown between theadministration group of Lenalidomide alone and the combinationadministration group at all points. A significant difference was shownbetween the administration group of KM8760 alone and the combinationadministration group on Day 19 and Day 21.

A value (T/C) obtained by dividing V/V0 of each group by V/V0 of thenegative control group is shown in Table 4. In the table, * means thecase where the actual value of T/C is smaller than the theoreticalvalue.

TABLE 4 T/C Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day Day 0 4 7 10 14 19 21 24 28Negative control group 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00KM8760 1.00 0.89 0.71 0.62 0.54 0.54 0.54 0.55 0.53 Lenalidomide 1.001.05 0.92 0.93 0.75 0.90 0.88 0.95 0.95 Combination administration group(Actual value) 1.00 0.77* 0.60* 0.56* 0.43 0.36* 0.37* 0.37* 0.36*(Theoretical value) 1.00 0.94 0.66 0.58 0.41 0.49 0.47 0.52 0.50

As shown in Table 4, in comparison with a theoretical T/C value which isexpected from a simple additive effect of a combination of KM8760 andLenalidomide, namely, a value obtained by multiplying T/Cs of the groupsof administering the respective agents alone, actual T/C of the combinedadministration group exhibited lower values than the theoretical valueson all points except for Day 14.

From the above, it is found that the combination administration ofKM8760 and Lenalidomide exhibited higher antitumor effect than therespective either agent alone.

EXAMPLE 3

Enhancement of Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity (ADCC) bytreating Lenalidomide and Anti-CCR4 antibody in Combination

Mononuclear cells (hPBMC) were obtained from peripheral blood fromhealthy adults by density-gradient centrifugation using Ficoll-paque(manufactured by GE health care). The obtained hPBMC was suspended inRPMI1640 medium containing 10% of FBS and 1% of penicillin/streptomycinsolution (manufactured by Nacalai Tesque) (hereinafter referred to asmedium). Lenalidomide was added to the suspension to give a finalconcentration of 0.1, 1 or 10 μmol/L. The obtained suspension wasincubated at 37° C. for one, three or five days. Thereafter incubation,hPBMC was washed one time with the medium, and the washed cells wereadjusted to give a concentration of about 5×10⁶ cells/mL using themedium. The obtained cells were used as effector cells.

After 1×10⁶ of HH cells suspended in about 100 μl, and 20 μL of ⁵¹Crsolution (NEZ030, manufactured by Perkin-Elmer) were mixed, the mixedsolution was incubated at 37° C. for 2 to 4 hours so that HH cells wereradiolabeled. After the radiolabeled HH cells were washed three timeswith the medium, the washed cells were adjusted to give a concentrationof about 2×10⁵ cells/mL. The obtained cells were used as target cells.

KM8760 was adjusted to give a concentration of 0.03, 0.3, or 3 μg/mL,using the medium. The obtained solution was used as antibody solution.

On a 96-well U-bottom plate, 50 μL of each of effector cells, targetcells and antibody solution was mixed (effector cell: target cell=25:1,final concentration of antibody=0.01, 0.1, or 1 μg/mL) and incubated at37° C. for 4 hours. After centrifuging the plate, 50 μL of supernatantwas transferred to Luma Plate (manufactured by Perkin-Elmer) and dried.Herein, CPM was measured using a liquid scintillation counter formicroplate (TopCount, manufactured by Perkin-Elmer). CPM is the numberof count per one minute. The rate of cytotoxicity (Lysis %) wascalculated using the following formula.Lysis %=(Sample CPM−Spontaneous CPM)/(Maximum CPM−Spontaneous CPM)×100

Spontaneous CPM was obtained in the absence of the effector cell and theantibody, and maximum CPM was obtained by adding 1% of NP-40 instead ofthe effector cell in absence of the antibody.

The result was shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, ADCC activity wasclearly enhanced by the treatment of Lenalidomide.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skill in theart that various changes and modifications can be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof.

This application is based on Japanese application No. 2009-209218, filedon Sep. 10, 2009, and U.S. provisional application No. 61/241,558, filedon Sep. 11, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereintoby reference. All references cited herein are incorporated in theirentirety.

Sequence Listing Free Text

-   SEQ ID NO: 4—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 5—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 6—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 7—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 8—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 9—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 10—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 11—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide-   SEQ ID NO: 12—description of artificial sequence: synthetic peptide

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for treating cutaneous T cell lymphoma,comprising administering a recombinant antibody which specifically bindsto human CC chemokine receptor 4 (hereinafter also referred to as CCR4)and Lenalidomide, wherein said recombinant antibody comprisescomplementarity determining region (CDR) 1, CDR2 and CDR3 of an antibodyheavy chain variable region which comprise the amino acid sequences ofSEQ ID NOs: 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 of anantibody light chain variable region which comprise the amino acidsequences of SEQ ID NOs: 8, 9 and 10, respectively.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, which comprises simultaneously or sequentiallyadministering the recombinant antibody and Lenalidomide.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the tumor is a tumor which expresses CCR4.4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recombinant antibody isan antibody having a high antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. 5.The method according to claim 1, wherein the recombinant antibody is ahumanized antibody.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, in thehumanized antibody, the heavy chain variable region of the antibodymolecule comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:11, and thelight chain variable region of the antibody molecule comprises the aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO:12.